Do you want to travel abroad but can’t afford to? Well, there are easy ways to cut the cost of travelling overseas in half and in this article you’re going to learn how to work for free accommodation anywhere in the world.
How many times have you set a budget for a holiday overseas only to spend way more than you could afford?
For me personally, this has happened a number of times. Travel is one of those expenses where most people are willing to spend exuberant amounts of money because they don’t travel very often.
Travelling can be extremely expensive if you’re not careful. It’s quite common for people to have a $10,000 budget for a 2-3 week holiday. However, the only reason they can afford to spend this much is because they only go on 1 holiday a year.
The funny thing is that most long-term travellers are able to travel the world for a year and spend less than $1,000 a month.
So what’s the difference?
Well, if you want to save money, travel long-term or move overseas, you can work for free accommodation.
I’m not talking about working 40 hours per week just so you have somewhere to live, but instead working a couple hours per day, for the opportunity to live abroad.
Because accommodation is the biggest expense for most people when travelling, if you’re able to eradicate this cost, you’ll be able to travel for at least 3-4 times longer.
So instead of telling you how to save a couple of dollars using a time-consuming travel hack, I’m going to show you three different ways you can work for free accommodation anywhere in the world!
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Work For Free Accommodation
The following websites are generally targeted at people who plan on staying in one location for a few days to a few months. They normally require you to work (2-3 hours/day) in exchange for a free room and board.
While you might think that it sucks to be working while enjoying a vacation, you’re going to be saving a lot of money. Food and accommodation are your two main expenses which means that if you work, you can live in the most expensive places in the world and still be comfortable.
One of the main advantages of working for 2-3 hours per day is that you still have 90% of the day to enjoy the place you’re living in.
Furthermore, you’re more than likely going to be living with a local family and eating local dishes that they cook for you. This alone is going to give you more of a cultural experience than you wouldn’t otherwise get if you were staying in a hostel or hotel full of tourists.
WWOOF
WWOOF is a work exchange program that enables you to live abroad with no money. You’re generally working on a farm and your job could involve fruit picking, driving tractors, fixing fences etc. Choose from hundreds of different farm jobs all around the world and learn new skills that you can keep with you forever.
Work Away
A few hours of work per day for free accommodation and food are the type of jobs listed on Work Away. These jobs normally last from a few days to a few months and are perfect for travellers that only plan on staying in one place for a short amount of time.
This website is my personal favourite when looking to work for free accommodation.
Help X
Help X has a broad variety of different jobs available for travellers. Some of the jobs include farm stays, homestays, ranches, lodges, B&Bs, backpackers hostels and even sailing boats. These jobs are short-term and allow you to work in exchange for free food and accommodation.
Working Traveller
“Working Traveller is designed for the Gap Year travellers who wants to work as they travel. If you’re on the road for just two months or more than two years – and you want to find either volunteer, cultural exchange ( a free bed and food) or paid work – Working Traveller is for you.” Working Traveller
World Packers
“World Packers is a community based on collaboration and honest relationships that make travel more accessible to those seeking a profound cultural experience. Through an online platform, we connect travellers – looking to exchange their skills for accommodation – with incredible hosts from all around the world.” World Packers
List of Websites
While the 5 websites above are the best websites to find work for free accommodation, there are hundreds of others, and this article lists them all. There are more than 500 websites to look through that are all subtly different which means you’re bound to find a website that suits your needs.
Au Pair Jobs
Do you like working with children? If so then being an au pair is an amazing opportunity for you to live in a foreign country. Becoming an au pair normally requires working full-time (35-40 hours per week) as a babysitter.
Families like to hire foreigners rather than local babysitters because it gives their children the opportunity to learn a foreign language from a young age.
You will either stay with your host family or they will rent an apartment for you and pay a decent wage. Unlike other accommodation options in this article, this is a full-time job that pays extremely well.
Au Pair World
Au Pair World is the leading au pair agency on the internet. This means that there are the greatest number of job opportunities. On top of that their support network is very experienced and fast.
Find Au Pair
If you’re looking for an honest and cost effective au pair service, then Find Au Pair is a good choice. It’s free to use their website if you’re an au pair looking for a job which means that you can start searching for jobs today.
Great Au Pair
This website has job offers that aren’t limited to babysitting. If you have experience, you may be able to find a job pet sitting, tutoring, in senior care, housekeeping or as a personal assistant.
Au Pair
AuPair.com is a really easy website to use which means that you don’t have to waste time looking for jobs you aren’t interested in. Just search where in the world you want to be an au pair and save interesting families profiles to your hotlist.
House Sitting
House sitting is a simple concept that helps both house sitters and house owners. In exchange for staying rent free in someone’s house, you are generally asked to look after some animals or tend to a garden.
If you love animals then this type of work for free accommodation is an amazing opportunity for you. Some of the websites listed below require you to have your own house to swap, meaning you can stay in someone’s house on the other side of the world while they stay in yours.
Trusted Housesitters
This website has the most opportunities available worldwide. That being said you have to register to read about different opportunities available. For under $10 a month you can use the website and search through as many listings as you like.
Nomador
This is one of the best housesitting websites out there which has many housesitting opportunities in French-speaking countries. This website is extremely easy to use and gives you lots of information about each listing without having to register.
Mind My House
This website has hundreds of listings available worldwide. The website is easy to use and you can read about different housesitting opportunities without having to register.
House Carers
Similar to MindMyHouse.com, House Carers has hundreds of listings available worldwide. You can read about different opportunities available without having to register.
Luxury House Sitting
Most of the listings on this website are for homes in the USA. Many of the listings are for bigger homes which means that there might be more cleaning and ‘jobs’ to do. That being said, it’s perfect for families or couples looking to have their own space.
Home Exchange
This is a classic swap your apartment or house for someone else’s. If you have an apartment or house that you’re willing to have other people use then this website is perfect. By listing your apartment or house on this website, you can search through other housing types all around the world which you could potentially stay in.
IHEN
This website is also a house exchange website which means that you can exchange your home for someone else’s anywhere in the world. That being said, if you don’t want to swap your home, you can look through the website listings for unique vacation rentals.
Conclusion
Travelling overseas and living in different countries is one of the most amazing experiences that anyone can ever have. The problem for too many people is that it can be really expensive.
The cost of accommodation is almost always the main expense for most people when travelling overseas.
However, by working for a few hours a day, it’s possible to eliminate these costs and travel for at least 3-4 times longer.
Whether you prefer working as an au pair, housesitter or doing odd jobs in exchange for free accommodation, there are plenty of opportunities out there.
So stop spending half of your travel budget on accommodation and start living rent free.
Have you tried any of these websites? Did you enjoy your experience?
Thank you for this article. I too have lived away before but am currently looking at exchanging work for accommodation on my next trip to South America. This article is a brilliant resource with all of the best websites in one place. I will be sure to check them out! 🙂
Glad the article was helpful. What type of work for free accommodation do you think you will try?
It’s true that traveling sure is expensive and even if you do travel on a budget there are times you’ll spend more than your budget. So having this options is a good way to enjoy traveling and not emptying your pocket. Being able to work and travel at the same time sure is something most travelers want to try out since they can earn at the same time.
You’re right. It’s definitely a great way to save money on the road as accommodation is normally the most expensive daily expense.